Building Owner'S Guide: Periodic Structural Inspection of Existing Buildings
Building Owner'S Guide: Periodic Structural Inspection of Existing Buildings
Building Owner'S Guide: Periodic Structural Inspection of Existing Buildings
OF EXISTING BUILDINGS
September 05
OWNER’S GUIDE TO PERIODIC INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS
A2 BCA will serve building owners with a Notice of Inspection when the building
is due for inspection. You can play your part by:
A3 Buildings which are used for residential purposes only (eg. condominiums and
apartments) are to be inspected at 10-yearly intervals.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that you should inspect your building only
when required to do so. As and when defects or deterioration are detected,
A4 Yes, your structural engineer can make an application on your behalf to the
Legal Search Unit at Counter 10, 2nd storey Tower Block of the MND
Complex. A copy of the application form can also be obtained from BCA’s
website
http://www.bca.gov.sg/build_control/request_copy_plans/appl_forms/others/ls
02.doc
Drawings kept in the office of BCA are in the form of microfilms. The
microfilms may contain both architectural and structural drawings, as well as
more than one set of approved or as-built drawings for a property. The
applicant would thus need to view the microfilms and select the appropriate
set for copying. For the purpose of periodic structural inspection, only the
structural layout plans are required.
To view and select the drawings, the applicant is required to bring along the
plan viewing notification letter. Viewing hours are from 8.30am to 11.30am,
Mondays to Fridays.
Schedule of Fees
Type Rate
Search fee (upon application) $20 per property
Copying(administrative) fee * $25 per set of plans
Certification of True Copy fee * $5 per copy of plan
* To be paid only after the viewing and selection of drawings
Printing of Plans
Printing service is provided by BCA’s contract vendor and fees are to be paid
directly to the vendor. The drawings are printed on the same day.
A5 You can engage any structural engineer registered with the Professional
Engineers Board (PEB) who has no professional nor financial interest in the
building. For the directory of Professional Engineers, you can refer to PEB’s
website at www.peb.gov.sg.
A6 Subject to BCA’s approval, you may engage your own structural engineer to
inspect your unit subject to the following conditions:
(a) The structural system and ownership of your unit are such that it can be
demolished and re-constructed without involving the adjacent units.
(b) Your unit must not be within the same vertical boundaries as other units
(eg. one on top of the other). Units which are within the same vertical
boundaries must be inspected as a whole.
(c) Your building must not be under a subsisting lease registered under the
Registration of Deeds Act or the Land Titles Act.
In addition to the above, you are required to liaise with the owners of the
adjoining units, as well as to share the responsibility and cost of repair works
for defects detected in the shared elements (eg. party walls, walkways, etc).
A7 This may differ slightly from building to building but would likely involve the
following:
A9 Yes you can engage any structural engineer registered with the Professional
Engineers Board (PEB) who has no professional nor financial interest in the
building.
A10 Yes, you can request the structural engineer to inspect your unit.
A11 No, the structural engineer jointly appointed by all owners of a building with
multiple owners must inspect all units of the building and submits a joint report
to BCA.
A13 You can write to BCA for an extension of time stating your reasons.
A14 BCA will vet through the report and may seek clarification from the structural
engineer with regards to the contents of the report. The structural engineer is
required to respond to clarifications and, where the situation warrants, BCA
may also conduct a joint site inspection of the building with the structural
engineer and/or require the structural engineer to conduct a presentation to
BCA.
Upon the acceptance of the report, BCA will write to the building owner to
follow up with the recommendations of the structural engineer on the defects
detected. You should carry out the remedial works promptly to prevent further
deterioration of the building and thereafter submit the structural engineer’s
certification on the completion of the remedial works, where applicable.
A15 You can write to BCA for an extension of time stating your reasons.
A16 Section 28 of the Building Control Act requires the entire building to be
inspected for structural safety by an independent structural engineer. If the
renovation works is localised and does not involve structural works, the
periodic structural inspection is necessary. On the other hand, if the A/A
works required a structural engineer to inspect and assess the condition of the
structural elements of the entire building, periodic structural inspection may be
postponed upon request.
Q17 I have the intention to carry out extensive A/A works to my building in
the near future. Can the periodic structural inspection be postponed?
Q18 I have the intention to demolish my building in the near future. Can it be
exempted from periodic structural inspection?
A18 Please let us know the date of your planned demolition for our consideration.
You should also inform us when the building has been demolished so that
notices would not be issued in future.
A19 The building still needs to be inspected. However, if you have the agreement
of the buyer to comply with our Notice of Inspection, you can inform us of this
agreement and we can consider letting the new owner take over the
compliance.
A21 Most building works require prior approval from BCA and other relevant
government agencies. However, BCA does exempt some minor works from
the approval process. A booklet entitled “Build It Right” can be downloaded
from BCA’s website at www.bca.gov.sg (under the heading ‘Public Info’) for
the list of minor building works that do not require approval from BCA.
Nevertheless, if in doubt, you should consult an architect or structural
engineer to advise you accordingly.
A22 You can inform BCA by calling 6325 7720 for our follow up.
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BUILDING OWNER’S GUIDE vii
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The following items are included on the checklist used by the Milwaukee Fire Department
when inspecting UWM buildings:
Exits